Ludhiana district Bar body holds protest against Malerkotla merger proposal
The DBA members expressed discontent with the decision, stating that the areas of Raikot, Payal, and Khanna sub-divisions were being shifted from Ludhiana to Malerkotla district
The District Bar Association (DBA) initiated a protest on Thursday against the proposed merger of certain areas of Ludhiana district with Malerkotla and observed ‘No work day’. This decision has been met with widespread opposition from various sub-divisional bar associations.
The DBA members expressed discontent with the decision, stating that the areas of Raikot, Payal, and Khanna sub-divisions were being shifted from Ludhiana to Malerkotla district. The sub-divisional Bar associations of Khanna, Jagraon, Payal, and Samrala had already announced their protests against this move.
Chetan Verma, the president of the District Bar Association, Ludhiana, and a member of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, condemned the decision. He referred to a circular dated September 27, 2033, issued from the office of the deputy commissioner of Ludhiana, which outlined the merger of certain towns and areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Ludhiana sessions division with the Malerkotla sessions division. Verma emphasised that such a merger would directly impact the lawyers and litigants of Ludhiana sessions division.
Finance secretary Jatinder Singh Jetty stated that it was unanimously decided to observe a “no work day” on Thursday and Friday as a mark of protest. This move aims to show their strong opposition to the proposed merger.
